Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind (Romans 12:2a ESV)

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Sandy Pride

As I sit here by the fire with my laptop, I felt the need to express some of my feelings on the recent disasters on the east coast with "Sandy". The unfortunate reality that some Christians believe that it was God's wrath on an unjust nation going astray frustrates me. While I believe God is just to express His wrath on any of us, in any way He chooses, I simply cannot support this Wrath of Sandy idea biblically. Yes, God has shown His power and wrath at times throughout history, I will not deny that. However, if you accept the Bible for what it is, yet take a black marker to passages of your choosing, you are not accepting the Bible, or God, or Christ, or the Christian faith.

I understand the desire to want an explanation for tragedy, especially personal tragedy. However the moment we start to see ourselves noticing the splinter in our brother's eye, we must immediately run to our Creator and beg Him to remove the plank in our own eye.

I said I was going to share my feelings on Sandy? Here is the passage I cannot escape ...

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5 ESV)

The tower didn't fall on them because they were worse sinners. Sandy didn't cause havoc on the east coast because they were worse sinners. When we see disaster may we see it for what it is, disaster, and a reminder for what is to come; worldly death for us all. Life is short, and our mission huge. Let the Bible be our guide, not our pride.

Search This Blog

Facebook Badge

Kevin De Young on Christianity

"We often hear that all religions are basically the same in that they all encourage us to love our neighbors, help the poor, forgive others, and generally be kind, compassionate people. Even if this were true (which it isn't when you get down to specifics), it would miss the point, because Christianity is not a religion mainly about a moral code to keep. Christianity is about a God who saves people who don't keep the moral code." - Kevin De Young

C.S. Lewis on Jesus

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."